Background

Marked reductions in HIV morbidity and mortality have been reported in recent years, yet there are inequities in the distribution of these gains. The decreases in mortality among African Americans and Hispanics with HIV are lower than the decreases among white persons with HIV.

In addition, in spite of all that is known about effective HIV care, recent studies have documented significant deficits in the quality of care received by a substantial proportion of HIV-infected persons. Mechanisms for promoting improvements in the care received by people with HIV need to be developed and implemented in order to close the gap between the science (what is known) and the care being delivered.

GoalThe goal is to improve health status and outcomes in order to maximize the length and quality of life for people with HIV/AIDS and to satisfy patient and caregiver needs, while maintaining or decreasing the total cost of care.

The SPNS program began with some of the first Federal grants to target adolescents and women living with HIV, and over the years, initiatives have been developed to reflect the evolution of the epidemic and the health care arena.